Star Wars - The Fury of Kylo Ren
by christos200
Summary: A year after the events of 'The Force Awakens', the Resistance is in dire danger and Rey is being chased by a furious Kylo Ren who wants her captured no matter what the cost. With the help of an unlikely ally and her Jedi skills, will Rey be able to escape Kylo Ren and resist the lure of the dark side?
1. Escape from Jundar

**Note: _The first chapters of this story were originally written before "The Last Jedi" was out, as such they do not follow the events of that movie. Nevertheless, more than a few characters and events from TLJ shall be incorporated in the story in later chapters, within the context of the plot of course.  
_**

 _This is a story set a year after the events of the Force Awakens and it is my version of Episode VIII. One of the major characters will be an original one. Hope you enjoy the story and if you do, any reviews will be appreciated._

* * *

 _ **A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…**_

 _ **Star Wars**_

 _ **Episode VIII**_

 _ **The Fury of Kylo Ren**_

 _ **It's been one year since the destruction of the Starkiller Base, and it is a dark time for the Resistance. The evil First Order has reconquered most of the worlds captured by the Resistance and in the Galactic Republic the pro-peace faction has taken control of the government and has stopped funding the rebel fighters.**_

 _ **While the First Order has been crushing the Resistance, the ruthless Knight of Ren, Kylo Ren, has completed his training under Supreme Leader Snoke and now, obsessed with finding young Jedi Rey, has dispatched thousands of spies across the galaxy to find her location.**_

 _ **Chased by the First Order and being the only Jedi disciple of Luke Skywalker, Rey must escape Kylo Ren's claws and make her way back to the Resistance, before it is too late for them and the galaxy…**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1 - Escape from Jundar**_

* * *

 **Jundar, Michael's Cantina**

Jazz music. Gorgeous Twi'lek dancers dancing before you dressed in sexy outfits. Smoke and laughter. Some of the best drinks in the galaxy, from Tatooine wine to Jundar Vodka. Bounty hunters, smugglers, some of the best pilots in the entire galaxy, hunted men. Michael's Cantina had everything mentioned above and even more. Species from all over the galaxy were gathering here, drinking, chatting and sometimes blasting each other.

On the far left corner of the Cantina, a lone man was sitting, drinking a Coruscant Javu Cocktail. He was a man in his late twenties, with shaggy brown hair, brown eyes and a vibroblade scar on his right cheek. He was wearing black shirt and trousers and a dark blue jacket. From his looks, one could easily tell that he was a man of action.

A bearded fat man dressed all in black approached the lone man, sat on a chair opposite to him and said, "Hello Arthurn. I see that you enjoy yourself, don't you?"

Arthurn smiled and replied, "Hey, life is short. If we do not enjoy it, what is the meaning of living?"

"Spare me of your philosophical rant. I'm here for the money. Dragan wants it, and he is not one to accept delays. When you lost your shipment full of blasters owned by Dragan, he warned you that if you do not compensate him, he would have you killed."

Arthurn sighed. He drank some more of his cocktail and said, "Hey, Jo old buddy, I already told your boss that it's not my fault. How was I supposed to know that my co-pilot would turn out to be a bastard who would steal my ship and your boss' shipment with it?"

"And my boss has already told you that he does not care. You chose the wrong co-pilot, you lost the shipments, you will compensate him. Now give me the money, or I will fry you."

Jo pulled two blaster pistols from his belt and pointed them at Arthurn, showing that he meant business. "And as you know, my friend Arthurn, I am one of the best marksmen in the entire galaxy. I've killed countless of famous people, all with only one shot."

Seeing the blaster pistols pointed at him, Arthurn almost spilled his drink. "Hey, old pal, calm down!"

Jo laughed. "I am pretty calm. You don't seem to be calm though. You don't have the money, right?"

"Well….I don't have the money yet, but give me some more time, and I will pay back Dragan plus some extra. I am one of Dragan's best pilots and I have always pulled off the most dangerous missions for him. I just need a little extra time and I will bring back the money. I promise."

Jo put down his blasters on the table, took a Corellian cigarette from his pocket and began smoking. "Alright, pal. Although you are not the most trustworthy guy I've met, I've known you for some time and you are indeed one of Dragan's best pilots. So, I shall give you some extra time. But if you blew this chance, I shall fry you with my famous blaster pistols, even if you are my pal. Crime lords don't have friends, you see."

Jo smoked for a moment and then, with his blaster pistols in his hands, left the Cantina. While Arthurn was drinking and thinking of how to repay Dragan, a young woman, dressed in a brown gown, approached his table. She had brown hair, hazel eyes, and light skin. She smiled to Arthurn and said, "I'm Rey. You must be Captain Arthurn, right?"

Arthurn size up the girl and smirked. "Indeed, I am the famous Captain Arthurn. What do you wish of me? I always have plenty of time for pretty faces like yours."

Ignoring Arthurn's comment, she replied, "I want to hire you to take me to Hoth. The only passengers will be me and my droid, BB-8."

It was only then that Arthurn noticed that Rey was being followed by a small droid with a dome head and with the bulk of its body made up of a ball that the droid's head rolled on.

"Also, I wish to avoid the First Order," Rey continued.

Arthurn could not have been happier. He was searching for a way to repay Dragan and now this woman came, ready to pay him for a trip to Hoth. Smiling, Arthurn said, "It's a deal. About my payment…avoiding the First Order would cost more than normal trips, but I always give a discount to gorgeous women like you. So, I want you to pay me 14,000 credits. All upfront."

"What?!" Rey shouted. "Are you kidding me? I can give you 10,000 now and 2,000 when we reach Hoth, 12,000 in total. My final offer."

Arthurn knew that he had to accept the deal or else he might not be able to find another customer soon enough to pay off Dragan. So, sighing, he said, "Alright, alright! I accept your offer. Now, will you come with me to the hangar, for I am in a bit of a hurry?"

Arthurn tossed a coin to the bartender and the two of them left the Cantina. Jundar was a world of tall skyscrapers, thousands of meters tall. The surface, being flooded with toxic waste, had long been abandoned. Due to the planet's location and the huge dark clouds covering its sky, it was always dark. To compensate for this, the planet had some of the best places of entertainment in the entire galaxy and many skilled individuals, mostly shady figures with connections to the underworld, gathered in this planet.

As they were walking, Rey asked, "Don't you have a co-pilot?". Although there were lone pilots, most preferred to have a co-pilot to help them.

"I had one but long story short; he betrayed me and stole my ship. So now I am on my own."

Arthurn led Rey and BB-8 to Hangar 78. There, on a metallic platform Arthurn's new ship was stationed: the 'JJ-91'.

'JJ-91' was a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle. It had three wings: one tall, dorsal stabilizer that remained stationary, and two lower wings that would extend during flight and fold upward for landing. The shuttle was mounted with two forward-facing double laser cannons. During the era of the Empire, it was used by dignitaries and even by Darth Vader himself once, but after the collapse of the Empire, it changed many hands until it was bought by Arthurn. Usually, such a ship was not used by smugglers, but since Arthurn's ship had been stolen by his co-pilot and he did not have much money, he had no choice but to buy this shuttle.

"I thought you had a fast ship…", Rey commented as soon as she saw the ship.

"Well, as I told you, my co-pilot stole my original ship, but 'JJ-91' is a fast a ship too. I've made some special modifications myself," Arthurn said. Of course, he had made no such modifications but he had no wish to lose his costumer. _'It's not like she will understand the difference,'_ he thought. "Now let's get going."

Arthurn unlocked the outer hatch of 'JJ-91' and lowered the ramp. As they were about to board the ship, a lizard looking alien holding a repeatable blaster with both his hands and pointing it at Arthurn appeared. "Long time no see, scum," he said.

"Hey, Hjark old buddy, how are you doing?" Arthurn said, forcing a smile on his face.

"I am here to collect the bounty on your head by Dragan."

"Calm down buddy. I have already talked with Jo and he gave me some extra time to repay Dragan. If you don't believe me, call him right now and he will tell you about this."

But Hjark laughed. "I will kill you and say to Dragan that I was not aware of your communication with Jo. I am sure that he will be pleased anyway and give me the money he put on your head."

Hjark was about to fire at Arthurn, but he then saw a good looking blonde woman followed by three tall and sturdy looking battle droids approaching them. Arthurn saw her too and sighed. 'Oh no!' he thought. 'Why am I always so unlucky?'

Once again, he smiled and said to the woman, "Dalia sweetheart, long time no see. You don't know how much I missed you."

Dalia's face was red and she was fuming with anger. "You damn cheating scruffy looking bastard, you have quite some nerve calling me 'sweetheart' after what you did to me!"

"Babe, you know that when I cheated you with your best friend I was drunk and had no idea of what I was doing, right? If I had not drunk the whole bottle of Tatooine wine, I would have never cheated you, I promise."

"You think I will forgive you?"

"You don't want to kill a gorgeous guy like me, do you?" Arthurn joked. But Dalia was not much amused. Her battle droids pointed their guns at him.

As they were about to shoot him, an elderly man dressed in a blue gown walked to the Hangar. Seeing him, Arthurn shouted, "Oh come on! This is getting ridiculous!"

"You!" the elderly man said, pointing at Arthurn with his finger. "You stole my priceless vase from my villa. Give it back to me!"

"Baron Char, I don't actually have it with me. I sold it to Dragan. You can go get it from him or just forget about it. It's only a vase."

"No!" Char shouted. "It is my family heirloom. Although I will not be able to get my vase from Dragan, at least I will have the pleasure of killing you and taking revenge. Boys, get him!"

Suddenly, five battle droids walked into the Hanger, their blasters pointing at Arthurn.

"It seems you have quite some trouble Captain, eh?", Rey noted.

"Sorry to disappoint all of you, but I've got a trip to make with this hot lady, so I have to bid you goodbye!"

Arthurn threw a smoke grenade, which blocked the vision of his opponents. Still, they fired at him, but Arthurn was able to dodge the shots. Not being able to see their opponent, they also fired at Rey, who turned on her blue lightsaber and used it to deflect the enemy fire.

"We have to get out of here!", Arthurn said and, grabbing Rey's hand, rushed onto the 'JJ-91'. Arthurn ran to the cockpit, sat on the pilot's seat, pressed a few buttons, pulled a lever and the shuttle took off.

Laughing, Arthurn said, "That was quite an escape, wasn't it?"

"I have escaped from more dangerous enemies," Rey replied.

"Oh really? What are you? A Jedi?"

"Why do you think of that?"

"You've got a lightsaber and you certainly don't look like a Knight of Ren."

"I am indeed a Jedi, but I would prefer if you stopped asking further questions. Also; never call me 'hot lady' again."

Arthurn sighed. "Whatever sweetheart..."

Rey ignored him and sat on the co-pilot's seat. She closed her eyes, relaxed her muscles and emptied her mind of all thoughts. She could sense the Force. Her Master, Luke Skywalker, had taught her how to meditate and feel the Force. She remembered his words; _'It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.'_ Relaxing and feeling the Force, was a good way to remain calm and serene.

* * *

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Bridge**

Space was like a dark curtain, contrasting with blacks and yellows, and the occasional white, which was shaped as a circle and sometimes a crescent. Thousands of bright stars and planets dotted that curtain in an intricate pattern. Suddenly, a menacing shadow overshadowed one of the smaller planets. It was the shadow of a Star Destroyer traveling in space. Its engines emitted a sound like the singing of whales. It was the only sound that could be heard in the silent and empty coldness of space.

Kylo Ren, leader of the Knights of Ren, was on the Bridge of that ship. It was his flagship, the 'Annihilator'. He was overlooking the vastness of space and waiting for news. Ren was clad in dark. His robe had become singed from many battles. His face was covered by a mask which projected and amplified his voice in a deeper way. A mustached middle-aged officer approached him.

"Sir, I bring news. According to our spies on Jundar, a woman that matches your description of Rey was on that planet. Also, some people claim that a woman used a lightsaber in a fight in the hangars."

"Have our spies located her?!" Ren interrupted.

"No, sir. You see, those were just rumors and have not been checked out yet, so I wanted to ask your permission before ordering them to do anything."

"You idiot!" Ren roared. "You should have acted at once instead of waiting for my permission. Now they have left the planet. You shall not fail me again!"

Ren used the Force to pull up the officer and, before he could scream for mercy, began force choking him. The officer's face turned pale and he was asphyxiating. There was a momentary struggle before he was finally dead. Ren let his lifeless body fall on the floor. He then turned on his red lightsaber and took out his anger on an instrument panel.

When he finally calmed down, he turned to the next in command officer, who was utterly terrified and his face was ashen white, and said, "Officer Maar, I want you to check all possible routes from Jundar and send Star Destroyers to intercept Rey. I want her alive. Do not fail me, or you will suffer the same fate as your superior did!"

"I…I..I.." the officer was shaking in fear and was stuttering. "I..will..will..not…fail….you. "

"I hope you don't; for your shake!"


	2. Past Memories

_**Chapter 2 - Past Memories**_

* * *

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Meditation Room**

Ren was in his Meditation Room. His eyes were closed and he was feeling the Force. He did not wear his mask. For a brief moment, his mind was in a state of peace. It was then when officer Maar knocked the door and asked, "May I come in?"

"If what you want to report to me is not important, you shall have the same fate as your predecessor!", Ren warned.

"It has to do with Rey, sir."

Ren's face brightened and for a moment a smile appeared on his face. "You may enter."

Officer Maar walked into the room, accompanied by a reptile bounty hunter: Hjark, the one that had attempted to kill Arthurn in Hangar 78. Ren looked with disdain at him: he distrusted bounty hunters.

"This…bounty hunter has confirmed that it was Rey the girl with the lightsaber on Jundar and has described her vessel to us," the officer said. "This shall be of great aid to our search efforts"

"Good… and now what?"

"I want a reward for my information!" Hjark interrupted.

Ren did not spoke. Instead, he ignited his lightsaber and before Hjark could react, he cut off his right arm.

The bounty hunter let out a cry. "What!? I've been promised a handsome reward and instead you attack me?" Hjark shouted.

Ren laughed. "I am your reward, you don't find me handsome?" he said and with a single move, he decapitated the bounty hunter.

"I dislike bounty hunters," Kylo Ren commented. "And I shall not pay for such scums. Officer Maar, use the information he brought to track down Rey."

"Yes, sir!"

"Now leave me alone!"

Maar rushed out of the room, leaving a lone Ren to relax and meditate.

* * *

 **'** **JJ-91', cockpit **

Rey was lying on the co-pilot's seat with her eyes closed. Her body was relaxed and she was serene. She could feel the Force. Past memories were coming to her mind. She could see the vast ocean and the rocky island in the middle. The waves splashing on the rocks of the island. She could remember the fragrance of the island's wild flowers. She could see herself gazing along with Luke Skywalker, her Master, at the endless ocean during sunset, when the sea was had a rosy color. She remembered his teachings. Not only how he taught her to use the Force and wield the lightsaber, but how he explained to her the philosophy of the Jedi. _'There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force,'_ he said. _'Through freeing oneself of emotion a Jedi becomes a being of peace. Emotions lead to the Dark Side. No one is ignorant, the path a Jedi follows is a path that brings forth knowledge. As to the Jedi, the Dark Side is a path of those unwilling to learn this knowledge. There is no passion as it is a form of attachment which leads to the Dark Side. There is only serenity and calm. Jedi do not create chaos or destroy, they seek balance in all things. Jedi become one with the force when they die, so they don't see it as death.'_

During the one year she had been training with Luke, she not only learned the ways of the Force, but she also felt happy to have someone looking after her. Luke was like a father figure to her, one she had never had as her parents had abandoned her to Jakku when she was still quite young. Alas, she had to return to the Resistance and help them or the First Order would dominate the galaxy. If it wasn't for this mortal danger, she would have remained in the island.

It was then when she heard Arthurn's voice: "Hey, are you going to meditate during the whole journey?" At once, the amazing scenery she was dreaming of vanished. Luke vanished too. And she was back in the cold starship, back to reality. She opened her eyes and was now gazing not at the endless rosy sea but at the pitch black space.

"Have we reached Hoth?" Rey asked.

"Not yet, sweetheart," Arthurn replied. "I was just bored sitting alone and piloting the ship and wanted to talk to someone."

"I don't believe we have much to say."

Arthurn laughed. "You either are always in a bad mood or you are really socially awkward… none of which are much desirable traits for one to have."

"I just happen to not like you. That's all."

Arthurn chuckled. "Cute. So, where do you actually come from?"

Rey would have preferred to meditate and think of her training with Luke but seeing that Arthurn was persistent in talking to her, she decided to tell him about Jakku: "I come from Jakku. I don't suppose you heard of it before?"

"Yes. It is the middle of nowhere."

Rey was silent for a moment. Memories of her life back in Jakku were coming to her mind. The endless sand, the hot sun, the scavenging of old battleships. She was reminded of the times when she would sit on a sand dune and gaze at the night sky, looking at the bright stars and dreaming of one day visiting them. Although life on Jakku was harsh, she had grown up there and it was her home. She missed it from time to time.

"The entire planet is a giant desert," Rey replied. "There is not much to see, except for the burning hot sand and crushed Star Destroyers."

"That reminds me of Tatooine a bit…."

"On Jakku I earned my living by working as a scavenger," Rey continued. "It was an exhausting job, having to find out the best scrap metal from the crushed battleships and carry them all the way to Niima Outpost to give them to Unkar Plutt in exchange for rations. He always gave small rations."

Rey remained silent for a few seconds, bringing to her mind her hardships, until Arthurn asked, "So, how the hell did you manage to become from a scavenger to a Jedi?"

"That's a long story. Maybe I will tell you about it some other time. What about you?"

"Me?"Arthurn asked, pointing at himself with his finger. "What about me?"

"Where do you come from? Since I told you my story, you should tell me yours too."

As Arthurn was about to talk, a ringing sound was heard from the ship's panel. Arthurn let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't particularly fond of sharing his life story. He checked out the panel and said, "It seems that we've reached Hoth. I'm coming out of lightspeed."

Arthurn pulled a lever and the ship came out of lightspeed, only for the two passengers to discover to their horror that three Star Destroyers were waiting for them. On the Bridge of one of them, Admiral Karath contacted Ren with his hologram device.

"My Lord!" Karath said. "I am pleased to report to you that our Star Destroyers have encountered a starship that matches the description of the one that escaped from Juntar. How shall we proceed, sir?"

"Good. Very good," Ren. "I want Rey alive, so you should not destroy her ship. Activate the tractor beam so that her ship will be captured by your Star Destroyer. At the same time, send the other two Star Destroyers to block her ship from landing to Hoth. This way, she will not be able to escape the tractor beam. I will be coming soon to your location. Do not fail me, Admiral."

Meanwhile, on the cockpit of 'JJ-91'', Arthurn swept with his hand the cold sweat of his forehead and said, "Oh hell! How are we going to escape from those Star Destroyers? When you said that you had trouble with the First Order, I never thought you meant this kind of trouble."

Rey was silent for a moment but then began laughing.

"What is so funny?" Arthurn asked.

"I found how to escape from the Star Destroyers," Rey replied. "We should land to Hoth."

Arthurn pointed at the two Star Destroyers which, following Ren's orders, had taken position to block them from landing to Hoth. "Are you crazy? Those Star Destroyers will blast us from the face of the galaxy."

"Wrong. They will not dare to shot down our ship. Kylo Ren wants me alive, I know it, so we should be able to get past those Star Destroyers without being shot down."

"And what if this Kylo dude wants you dead?"

Rey sighed. "If he wants me dead, then there is no way your starship is going to escape from those Star Destroyers. So, let's take the risk and follow my plan."

Indeed, with the pulling of a lever, 'JJ-91'' lurched forward at the Star Destroyers blocking its path to Hoth. The two forward-facing double laser cannons of the starship began firing at the Star Destroyers.

"Are they crazy?" officer Tom, commander of one of the two Star Destroyers, commented. At once he activated his hologram device and called Admiral Karath. "Admiral, their ship is not heading towards yours but instead they make a suicide attack on our Star Destroyer. What shall we do?"

An enraged Karath clenched his fist and teeth. "Damn!" he shouted. "Do not shoot them down. Lord Kylo Ren wants the girl alive."

As the two Star Destroyers did not fire back, 'JJ-91' was able to get past them. It entered Hoth's atmosphere and headed towards the hangar of a large military base.

"Yeeehaaa!" an excited Arthurn shouted as the ship landed. "We've made it!"

"We've made it!" Rey too said and for a moment hugged Arthurn out of her excitement. But she quickly let him go and took a step backward.

Arthurn coughed and cleared his throat. He then changed the subject, in order to avoid looking awkward. "Well, it seems we've reached your destination."

"Indeed."

Hoth was probably one of the coldest planets in the entire galaxy. Its entire surface was covered by ice and snow. Its temperature was well below zero. There were no human settlements on this remote planet, except for some smuggler bases or this Resistance base on whose hangar the ''JJ-91'' had landed.

When the ramp was lowered and Arthurn and Rey walked out of the ship, they found the hangar abandoned. No one could be found. Not a single person.

"Weird," Rey commented. "The last time I communicated with the Resistance, they said to me that they were in Hoth and gave me the coordinates to come to this military base."

"I hope your friends are here because otherwise, this Kylo dude will have no trouble frying us," Arthurn replied.

As they walked deeper into the hangar, they found a door leading into the base. As soon as Arthurn pressed the button opening the door, blaster fire was fired from the other side. Arthurn was barely able to dodge the fire. The shooters were three battle droids. Rey ignited her lightsaber and deflected the fire before using the force to push back the droids; they hit the wall and broke into pieces.

"Nice friends you've got," Arthurn chuckled. "They are as friendly as the First Order."

Before Rey could reply, she noticed on the floor a dead body: that of a Resistance fighter. "A battle must have taken place here," she said. "We should try to find out what happened."

"Walk into a base full of deadly droids while the First Order is about to land troops to hunt us down? Now, that's my sort of fun."

Arthurn and Rey walked into the room which led to a long corridor. On their way, they found dead bodies and dismembered droids on the floor. Finally, they found a door. Arthurn tried to look for a button to press in order for it to open, but the door's control panel has been destroyed.

"It seems someone destroyed the door's control panel in order to lock the door," Arthurn said. "If we barge into the room, we better be prepared for we do not know what we shall face."

"You are right. Be ready to throw a grenade into the room if needed," Rey replied. She then ignited her lightsaber and used it to cut down the door. As soon as the door collapsed, Rey shouted: "Throw a grenade."

Arthurn threw at once a plasma grenade into the room which caused a huge explosion. Smoke concealed everything and the two of them could barely see anything for about a minute. When they did, they saw tens of destroyed droids on the floor.

"How did you knew it was droids waiting into the room?" Arthurn asked.

"I…sensed it in the Force."

* * *

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Bridge**

The 'Annihilator' finally reached Hoth system. Admiral Karath boarded his personal starship and flew from his Star Destroyer to the 'Annihilator'. As soon as he docked in the hangar of the 'Annihilator', a company of Stormtroopers led him to the Bridge, where officer Maar and Kylo Ren were waiting for him.

When Admiral Karath walked on the Bridge, he tried to remain calm and forced a fake smile on his face. "My Lord, I'm pleased to meet you," he politely said.

"I am not!" Ren shouted. "I told you to prevent them from landing to Hoth and to use the tractor beam to capture their ship. But you failed in this simple mission!"

"Sir…I..I…" Karath was trembling. "I….I..am..sorry."

"Too late to be sorry!" Ren used Force lightning on the Admiral. Karath convulsed as the violent electrical current pulsed through him. The other officers watched in horror as his face was being disfigured while he was screaming in pain. Soon he collapsed on the floor, dead.

"That is a lesson to all of you!" Ren said. He then turned on his hologram device and contacted Officer Tom: "Officer Tom, you are promoted to Admiral."

"Thank you, sir…" a displeased Tom said. He surely did not want this promotion, knowing how many of his predecessors had died in the hands of Kylo Ren.

"Prepare your troops for land combat. We shall make a landing on Hoth!"


	3. The Knight of Ren

Thanks for all the reviews.

 **Resistance Military Base, Control Room**

Rey and Arthurn walked slowly into the control room. Although the grenade had eliminated all droids, after what they had been through they were cautious and ready to fight at any moment. Rey noticed a hologram devise on a panel. She approached it and turned it on.

"Emergency Message!", a droid voice coming from the devise said. Suddenly, Leia's figure appeared on the hologram and said: "To anyone who finds this message and is a friend of the resistance, you must leave immediately! We were developing on the construction of battle droids to help us fight back against the First Order but some sort of virus made them go mad and they turned on us. They will kill everything on sight. We had to abandon this base as fast as we could and I advise you to do so too or they will kill you. May the Force be with you!"

"That explains everything….", Rey quietly said to herself when she heard Arthurn shouting: "More droids!"

She turned back and saw Arthurn taking cover behind a control panel and firing at a squad of more than thirty battle droids all firing at him. Thanks to his cover and his accurate shots Arthurn manage to survive, but Rey knew that if she did not intervene he would soon be overwhelmed due to the droids' sheer numbers.

At once Rey ignited her lightsaber and somersaulted, landing right in front of the droids, and using her lightsaber she deflected enemy fire. She then charged forwards and with swift moves cut down the droids while Arthurn was firing at them with his blaster. Soon, the entire squad was taken down.

"That was close!", Arthurn exclaimed. "Now, let's get out of this base before more droids come."

"I agree with you.", Rey replied and the two of them rushed forward. As they were running, Rey turned on her comlink and said to BB-8, who had remained in the ship, "BB-8, prepare the ship for takeoff. We are coming there as fast we can."

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Bridge**

Kylo Ren was looking at Hoth from the bridge of his Star Destroyer. He was waiting for Officer Maar to report to him and was growing increasingly impatient. Rey was in his grasps and he could not lose this chance to get her. If he could turn her on the Dark Side and train her in the ways of the Sith, they could get rid of Snoke and then Kylo Ren would be the undisputed leader of the First Order and then of the entire galaxy.

Officer Maar walked to the bridge, saluted Kylo Ren and said, "Sir, the troops are ready for deployment. We have found a rebel base on the planet but it seems to be abandoned. Rey and her smuggler friend must have hidden there."

"Good. I will take personal command of the operation, Officer Maar. Prepare my shuttle!"

"I will, sir!"

The crystal clear sky of Hoth was suddenly filled with Star Destroyers. All kind of shuttles and starships took off from the Star Destroyers, carrying troops on them, and landed on Hoth. Except for Stormtroopers, the First Order also landed huge four-legged combat Walkers. As soon as they landed, they began firing at the rebel base. Although the rebel base seemed abandoned, Officer Maar wanted to be sure.

On the base, the ground was shaken and Rey and Arthurn felt the huge explosion. "Oh no!", Arthurn said, "the First Order is here! Run!"

As they were rushing forward in the corridor, to their bad luck they found battle droids waiting for them. Arthurn was barely able to dodge the enemy fire while Rey was shot on her right shoulder and let out a cry. Before the droids could fire any more shots, she used the Force to push them back, crushing them on the wall.

"Are you alright?", Arthurn asked and rushed towards her side.

"I'm okay; it's nothing to worry about. But we must get out of this base or neither of us will be alive."

While the two heroes were having trouble with the battle droids, Kylo Ren had blasted into the base with hundreds of troops following right behind him. As he walked inside the base, he too encountered battle droids but before they could even fire back, he used Force Lighting to literally burn them while the Stormtroopers used their blasters to destroy any droid that managed to escape from Kylo Ren's Force Lighting. At the same time, Officer Maar was directing the Walkers to head towards the base's hangar to blast down any ship that attempted to take off.

Rey and Arthurn were running forward when they heard the sound of blaster fire. They turned back and saw Stormtroopers rushing forward and firing towards them. Arthurn threw a plasma grenade at them, causing a huge explosion and taking off many of them. They then continued running forward until they finally reached the base's hangar.

With their starship before their eyes, Rey and Arthurn could not help but smile. But just as they were about to board the starship, they heard the sound of a lightsaber being ignited and saw the Knight of Ren himself: Kylo Ren was standing right behind, his lightsaber turned on and ready for combat.

"Board the starship!", Rey shouted. "Now! You have to leave!"

"I cannot leave you behind!", Arthurn replied.

"Go now!"

Arthurn rushed into the starship, turned on the engine, pulled a lever and the ship took off. Arthurn had let the ship's opening hatch open on purpose, so that Rey could jump onto the ship when the time was right.

"You cannot escape, Rey.", Kylo Ren said, his voice having a menacing tone. "Your destiny lies with me. You know it. Join me and you shall become more powerful than any Jedi or Sith. I can teach you the ways of the Dark Side of the Force."

Rey laughed. "Sorry, but I have to attend on some business, so I will be leaving."

She tried to use the Force to push back Kylo Ren, but the Knight of Ren did not move at all. Instead he smiled inside his helmet and charge forward with his lightsaber. His speed was extraordinary and his prowess immense. Rey too turned on her lightsaber and the two lightsabers clashed violently. Kylo Ren's attack was so powerful that Rey was pushed back. Kylo Ren slowly walked towards her and she had to retreat.

"You cannot escape, you know it!"

Meanwhile Arthurn had to take off with his shuttle as Kylo Ren's Stormtroopers began firing at it. As soon as his ship left the hangar, Maar's Walkers all fired at once at the shuttle and Arthurn was barely able to turn the ship around just in time and maneuver it so as to escape the enemy fire.

While Arthurn was struggling to avoid enemy fire, Kylo Ren and Rey were dueling. Their battle was fierce as their lightsabers clashed again and again, each time more violently. And each time Rey had the worst of it and was forced to retreat. Kylo Ren was laughing and seemed to toy with her. This time he was not injured, like the last time they had dueled, and he had completed his training.

"It seems that my old Master did not teach you well enough. He is far too cautious and afraid of using the full power of the Force.", Kylo Ren said. "I can teach you how to use the full prowess of the Force. If you become my apprentice, you shall become far more powerful than Luke. Together we can have a bright future. You have great potential. Do not waste it on those rebel scums. Join me!"

Hearing Kylo Ren berating her Master only served to infuriate further Rey and she attacked with even more fury.

"Good.", Kylo Ren commented. "Use your anger! Use your hate! Only your hatred can destroy me."

It was then when Rey remembered what Luke had said. They were on one of island's hills, watching the sunset and gazing at the endless sea. They were both calm and serene. Luke said to her, "Remember, hate and anger lead to the Dark Side. They initially make you powerful and strengthen you, but they eventually consume you and turn you into a monster. When they have completely consumed you, there is no turning back. You are no longer a human being but a monster fed by anger and pain. So beware of the Dark Side or you shall become exactly like the ones you are fighting against."

When Rey remembered those words, she calmed down, retreated by a few steps and said, "I shall never become like you. You are nothing more than a monster. I, however, am a Jedi and shall not let hate and anger consume me."

Kylo Ren was enraged. "So be it…Jedi.", he said and used the Force to push her back. Rey was not able to resist and was indeed pushed back.

Kylo Ren walked slowly towards her but suddenly an explosion shook the place and the fire of two laser cannons almost turned him to dust. He retreated just in time. Kylo Ren turned around and saw that Arthurn's shuttle had returned back to the hangar.

Rey at once ran forward, somersaulted and jumped onto the shuttle through the outer hatch, which was still open.

"I came just in time, sweetheart.", a smiling Arthurn said. "You owe me once."

"We can discuss about this later!", Rey replied. "Let's get out of this place."

As soon as the shuttle left the hangar, it encountered once again deadly fire from the Walkers.

"How are we going to get past them?", Arthurn asked.

"Shoot them on the neck.", Rey replied. "It is the only part of the Walkers which is not protecting from their shield."

"Let's hope it works."

The shuttle sped forward, dodging enemy fire and approaching one of the Walkers. When the shuttle was close enough to one of the walkers, it fired with its two forward-facing double laser cannons at the Walker's neck. As soon as the fire hit its target, the entire Walker exploded. But there were still too many Walkers and Arthurn could not hope of taking all of them down.

"Let's try to get off Hoth and hope we are not shot down.", Arthurn said and the shuttle sped forward towards space. The Walkers were firing more intensely and far faster and one of them almost hit the shuttle, but thanks to a quick maneuver by Arthurn the ship was saved from certain destruction.

When the shuttle finally got out of Hoth and into space, it encountered a huge array of Star Destroyers. "This is getting better and better!", Arthurn commented. The Star Destroyers began firing at the shuttle and a fleet of Tie Fighters sped towards them. Arthurn looked at the panel's map and saw that an asteroid field was nearby.

"We will be heading towards the asteroids. I hope they will not be crazy enough to risk death by following us.", Arthurn said.

"Are you crazy?!", Rey replied. "We shall surely die in the asteroid field."

"Do you have a better idea? Or shall you use the Force to get us out of this place?". Arthurn's voice had a sarcastic tone in it.

"Alright. It seems we do not have much of a choice."

Even when Arthurn was in a situation where all odds were against him, he never lost his wits or womanizing attitude. "So, since we may not make it, how about a last kiss?"

Rey ignored Arthurn and as the Tie Fighters were right behind his ship, he had to move forward the shuttle, right into the asteroid field. When the ship entered the asteroid field, it almost crushed to a huge asteroid but the shuttle moved upwards just in time to avoid it. It then moved towards the left, avoiding another asteroid. The Tie Fighters were not as lucky and most of them crushed on the asteroids.

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Bridge**

Meanwhile, Kylo Ren had returned back to his flagship. He turned on his hologram devise and asked Admiral Tom, "Where is the ship?!"

"Sir…it has entered the asteroid field. Shall we-"

Before Tom could go on, Kylo Ren interrupted him, "Go into the asteroid field. I don't care how many ships you will lose or what strategy you will follow but I want the ship captured!"

"I will not disappoint you, sir!"

"I hope so….for your own sake, Admiral."

It was then when Officer Maar came to the bridge. As he was about to speak, Kylo Ren said, "You had so many Walkers and yet you allowed this shuttle to escape from Hoth? This is last mistake you have made!"

Kylo Ren ignited his lightsaber and with a swift move beheaded the officer. He then turned to one of the other military officers and told him, "You shall take his place."

The man was trembling in fear and tried to say, "Siiiir, I…I…I am…am…not ready to accept this promotion. I…am…not good enough."

"Then you should not be here!", Kylo Ren said and choked the man to his death. He then pointed at another officer, one named Alexander, and said, "Officer Alexander, I hope that you shall accept the promotion."

"I will, sir. Thank you for promoting me. I shall do my best to serve you!"


	4. Unexpected Encounter

**The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Meditation Room**

Kylo Ren was meditating. He could feel the Force flow around him. He was trying to relax and regain his calmness. Rey was about to be captured by him and yet she escaped just when it seemed that she was doomed. Kylo Ren was becoming more and more obsessed with capturing her, and not just because she was one of the last two Jedi. He somehow felt somewhat connected to her. He could relate to her.

Rey was an orphan. Kylo Ren had parents but they never took care of him. His mother, Leia, was always busy with Galactic politics, the rebuilding of the New Republic, the reconstruction of destroyed by the Empire planets. His father was always on journeys doing business. And he spent his childhood years surrounded by maids and page boys.

When they took him to be trained under Luke, he felt like they were abandoning him, giving him away. He felt betrayed. The night before going to Luke's academy he had cried a lot, he still remembered this. He had too much anger in him and was always impatient. Luke was a kind teacher and wanted to teach his students slowly and patiently, so as to become Jedi and not fall to the Dark Side. Maybe too slowly, mostly because of his fear of training another Darth Vader.

Kylo Ren, or Ben Solo as he was known then, was eager to learn more and more about the Force. He wanted to become more knowledgeable, more powerful. But Luke would not teach him as fast as he wanted to. This frustrated him. It seemed to him that Luke was afraid, he was weak, he was not worthy of being a Jedi Master.

And then came Snoke. Luke had sent Ben along with a few other students to Korriban to investigate rumors of presence of Imperial remnants. There, they found Snoke. The Dark Lord killed all of the other students but spared Ben. He could feel the hatred, the anger, the lust for knowledge and power in him. Snoke easily turned Ben to the Dark Side and gave him the title Kylo Ren.

From then on, he was an agent of evil, a servant of the Dark Side. He massacred the other students of Luke and even killed his own father, Han Solo. He still remembered that moment, when he suddenly ignited his lightsaber and penetrated with it Han's chest. At that moment he felt so powerful. He felt free from the chains that were holding him back. The light in him had been slain. The darkness completely consumed him.

When Snoke completed his training, Kylo Ren was no longer interested in serving this old Sith Lord. He wanted to eventually get rid of him and take his place as Supreme Leader. That was the ancient code of the Sith, that's what all Ancient Sith did; betraying their Master and taking the mantle of the Dark Lord for themselves.

But he was still not powerful enough to betray his Master. If he could turn Rey to the Dark Side, however, maybe they could be able to take on Snoke together. Kylo Ren knew that Rey had great potential, even greater than his.

As Kylo Ren was lost in his thoughts, Officer Alexander knocked the door and asked permission to come in.

"You may enter, Officer.", Kylo Ren said.

"Sir, our Tie Fighters are pursuing the enemy shuttle into the asteroid field. Although we have sustained heavy losses, I believe that we will be able to get them."

 **Asteroid Field**

Arthurn's shuttle was barely able to dodge the enemy fire while managing to avoid crushing to an asteroid. It seemed as if this was a dead end. In front of them countless asteroids, in their back countless Tie Fighters. Thankfully the shuttle was a somewhat small ship and so was able to maneuver around the asteroids. That was not the case for the Tie Fighters, which crushed onto the asteroids.

"We will soon be getting out of this asteroid field" , Arthurn said, "and then we can jump into hyperspace."

"Let's hope you are right or this trip is going to end really fast.", Rey commented.

As the shuttle was about to exit the asteroid field, a loud sound was heard. A huge explosion shook one of the asteroids, sending shockwaves through the entire field and causing an even larger explosion, engulfing everything in fire. The shockwave of the explosion hit the shuttle itself, but as the ship was not near to the field, the damage was not critical.

"What the hell was that?!", Arthurn wondered. "What weapon could cause such a huge explosion that would rock an entire asteroid field?"

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Meditation Room**

Officer Alexander knocked the door and entered the Meditation Room to report to Kylo Ren about the hunt of the shuttle.

"Sir, we have fired the ion cannon on the asteroid field. This should cause a huge explosion that should fry their ship."

Kylo Ren closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment. He then said, "Thankfully for you, Officer, you attack was a failure. I sense Rey. She is still alive. I can feel it through the Force. The shuttle must have managed to escape from the asteroid field just in time. I told you that I want Rey alive. Why did you fire the ion cannon at the asteroid field?"

"I…sir…"

"Do not disappoint me again or it will be the last mistake you ever make. Calculate their every possible move and find out where they have gone or I will not be merciful enough next time."

"As you command, sir!"

 **'** **JJ-91', cockpit**

Arthurn could not believe what had happened: in a single day he had walked into an abandoned military base full of crazy and deadly battle droids, had faced the leader of the Knights of Ren himself and had piloted his shuttle through an asteroid field which exploded only a moment after they had escaped. Although Arthurn, as a smuggler and thief, had encountered many difficulties and dangers in his past missions, he had never come so close to death.

"Well, Jedi, you promised me to give me 2,000 credits if we reached Hoth. Don't care where you find them, but give them to me and let's part our ways.", Arthurn said.

"Right now, I have no money with me.", Rey explained. "I thought that General Leia would pay you on my account on Hoth but since she is not there, we will have to go to Tatooine. General Leia told me that if I ever encountered trouble and could not find them, I should go to Tatooine and find Max Kraat."

Arthurn laughed. "No sweetheart, you've got it wrong. I am not following you to any more crazy adventures. I got nearly killed right now and I have no wish to have the entire First Order coming after me."

Rey remained silent for a moment and then thought of something that would surely persuade Arthurn to come with her.

"If you do not take me to Tatooine, then I cannot find where the resistance is. And if I cannot find the Resistance, you cannot be paid. If you take me to the Resistance, I can persuade General Leia to pay you 5,000 credits."

Arthurn thought about this for a moment. On one hand, the First Order would be after him but on the other hand, if he could not gather enough money to compensate Dragan for his lost shipment, he would be in an even worse situation as all bounty hunters in the galaxy would be looking for him.

"Alright, I'll come with you."

Rey could not hide her smile.

"But we must make a landing on a nearby moon.", Arthurn continued. "The shuttle is badly damaged and needs to be repaired. I detect the existence of a moon nearby, so we should land there to fix the ship."

The shuttle flew towards a small moon. The entire moon was humid, swampy and covered in shallow marshland. The shuttle landed on one of the moon's marshes.

"Nice place you found….", Rey commented.

"There was no other nearby place to land. Anyway, got to check the ship and begin repairs."

Rey suddenly sensed an echo in the Force. Either that place was strong in the Force or someone very powerful in the Force was residing there. She had to find out who or what was residing in those marshes.

"I am going to check the surroundings.", Rey said and walked away before Arthurn could say anything.

As Rey walked further into the marsh, she could feel the coldness of the place. This place was surely one which was dominated by the dark side of the Force. Suddenly, an old man appeared from the marshes. He was wearing a black robe. He had long white hair and beard and his face was wrinkled.

"Hello there.", the old man said. "What brings you to this desolate place?"

Rey was surprised and initially terrified by this man. So she quickly drew her lightsaber and turned it on, ready to fight the old man if he proved to be a threat.

"Put away your Jedi weapon. I mean no harm."

Although Rey was still not convinced, she turned off her lightsaber. "Who are you?", she asked.

"I am just an old man."

Rey sighed. "I feel that the Force is strong in this place and you recognized me as a Jedi. You must have knowledge of the Force."

The old man smiled. "Really, you don't need to be a force user to understand that someone wielding a lightsaber must be a Jedi. But I indeed have some knowledge of the Force, although I am not a force user myself. I have researched the philosophy behind the Jedi and the Sith. My name is Mai Zheng."

"So what are you exactly?"

"A philosopher, I would call myself. I studied the philosophies of the Jedi and the Sith, hoping to understand those two groups. Thankfully for me, I was lucky to befriend Jedi before the Clone Wars and so I have firsthand experience of their teachings. "

At that moment Arthurn appeared. "We need some new parts for the hyper-", he said when he saw the old man. "Who is this guy?"

"A philosopher.", Rey replied.

"And what the hell is he doing in this place?"

"I crashed here many years ago.", Mai Zheng replied. "Just like you, I guess. This is really lucky for me, since no one had come to this moon for a decade. I can now leave this place, if you let me come with you."

"No offense, but why should we let a creepy old man we do not know come with us?", Arthurn asked.

"Because only I can give you the parts you need to repair your ship. Although my ship crushed, some parts of it remained intact. So you could use them."

"Why do you wish to come with us?", Rey said.

"Let me ask you something: why would I want to remain in a desolate marsh on my own when I can leave? As I told you, I am here because I crushed on this place, not because I wanted to be here."

Arthurn sighed. "I guess you can come with us."

Mai Zheng gave Arthurn the parts he needed and he proceeded to fix the ship. Meanwhile, Rey was looking at the sky and thinking of her duel with Kylo Ren. She was almost overtaken by her hatred, her anger. Although she was able to control her emotions, for a moment she was consumed by the dark side. She now knew exactly what Luke meant when he said that the lure of the dark side is difficult to resist.

"I see you are troubled.", Mei Zheng commented.

"I… you know of the Jedi teachings, right? Well, during a duel with an opponent, I almost fell to the dark side. I felt hatred, anger and those feelings empowered me, made me stronger. Although I was able to calm down, I…I am not sure I will be able to do so the next time."

"I do not see the reason why you should not allow your feelings to empower you."

Rey was surprised to hear this. Luke had always told her that she should suppress her emotions and be calm and serene. But this man was telling her to use her emotions. "But this is the way to the dark side."

Mai Zheng smiled. "Oversimplification by the Jedi. They are partially right, of course. If your emotions overtake you and guide your actions, then you are nothing more than a pawn of your emotions. And that is where the Sith are wrong. So the Jedi are right to not allow most of their students to use their emotions, as most of them are weak-minded. But a few strong-willed people, like you, should be allowed to use their emotions. The key to success is using your emotions, your hatred and your anger, to empower yourself. To use them as tools. You should not allow your emotions to rule you, but you should rule them and use them to destroy your opponents. Anger and hatred, when used carefully by strong-willed people who know when to be emotional and when to be calm, can be powerful weapons."

"That is an interesting point of view…."

"Unfortunately, both Jedi and Sith are too rigid about their teachings and do not understand the fallacies of their ways."

There was silence for a moment until Arthurn's voice was heard: "The ship is ready. Let's get aboard the shuttle and get out of this place."


	5. Bounty Hunters

Thanks for all reviews.

 **Resistance Military Base, Mustafar**

On the lava planet of Mustafar, in an old Separatist base, the Resistance had established its new headquarters. After being forced to flee Hoth when the newly produced droids malfunctioned and turned on their creators, the Resistance arrived in this world of volcanoes and lava to reorganize.

Finn was among the Resistance fighters stationed in this world. When Finn recovered from his injuries after the Battle of Starkiller Base, he was asked by Leia to join the Resistance. Although he was reluctant at first, he eventually joined the Resistance and now he was an experienced member of the Resistance.

Finn walked into the Communications Room. General Leia Organa was in that room, coordinating operations with Resistance units across the galaxy. Finn had been informed that Leia wanted to talk with him, that's why he came to that room. He was somewhat nervous as to why Leia would want to talk with him.

"General, I am here.", Finn said. "How can I be of assistance?"

Leia had a worried look at her face and Finn could see that something had gone terribly wrong.

"You know that Poe Dameron had gone on a spying mission to Balmora, where the greatest weapon factories of the First Order are located. Well, he got captured and they will surely execute him sooner or later. So, I want you to go with Chewie and rescue him."

"Only me and Chewie?!". Finn could not believe this. "This is a suicide mission. The First Order has tens of thousands of troops in Balmora. How are we going to break into their prison camp and get Poe out?"

"If a larger force is sent, it will be detected. We do not have the manpower to launch a military strike on the base. You should sneak into the base, get Poe out of prison and flee as soon as possible."

Finn sighed. "Damn, this is a suicide mission, but I cannot let Poe die. Nor can I let you and the Resistance down. I'll be going."

"Good to hear that.", Leia smiled. "May the Force be with you."

Finn went back to his room, equipped himself and took with him as many weapons as he needed and rushed to the hangar. There he saw Chewbacca waiting for him.

"Hey, Chewie, are you ready for this crazy mission?", Finn asked.

Chewbacca roared.

"Good to see you are confident pal, for I am not much optimistic about this mission. I have a bad feeling about this."

Chewbacca opened the outer hatch of the Millennium Falcon and lowered its ramp. Then, he and Finn boarded the ship and headed to the cockpit. Finn sat on the pilot's seat while Chewbacca in the co-pilot's.

"Chewie, power up the engine!"

Chewbacca roared, pressed some buttons and then pulled a lever. The Millennium Falcon took off from the hangar and sped towards space.

 **A few hours later**

A few hours after takeoff, the Millennium Falcon had left Mustafar system and was deep into space. Finn was still nervous: although he had undertaken some really dangerous missions for the Resistance, none of those missions were as dangerous and lethal as this one.

"Do you have a layout of the First Order's Military Base, Chewie?", Finn asked.

Chewbacca roared and gave a datapad to Finn.

"Well, it seems that Poe is in the north-western part of the base. You shall land the ship on the forest near the military base and then proceed to attack with the ship the base and draw away as many troops as possibly. By gaining their attention, I will be able to sneak into the base, kill a Stromtrooper and dress in his uniform and then I will proceed to free Poe. A damn crazy plan if you ask me, but we don't have much of a choice."

Before Finn could speak any further, an alarm ringed.

"What is it?"

"Haa! Hwaarr!"

"Tractor beam?! We are caught?! Is it the First Order?"

Finn panicked and attempted to press any button he could find, but to no avail.

"Chewie, lock the auxiliary power. "

The Millennium Falcon began to shake violently and was pulled into the hangar of a large Freighter ship, which did not look like it was a ship of the First Order.

"What are we going to do?", Finn said and cursed himself for accepting this mission.

Chewbacca roared.

"The same thing you did with Han when you were caught by the Death Star? What are you talking about?"

 **Hangar, Freighter Ship**

"At last, the Millennium Falcon is mine.", a man wearing a blue Mandalorian armor said. His armor covered his entire body and the armor's helmet hid his face, so no one could recognize him.

"Men, search the ship for any passengers!", he ordered and a group of human and green Rodian thugs ran into the ship, knowing that the one who would discover first any passengers would be rewarded the most.

The thugs searched everywhere into the ship for the passengers, but strangely they could find none. So they left the ship to report to their leader, leaving a Rodian behind to guard the ship. While the Rodian was standing up half-asleep and cursing the others for having him do the boring job of guarding the ship, the floor panels covering the ship's smuggling compartments slid back. The Rodian heard the noise only when it was too late: Finn fired at him with his blaster, killing him.

"Now we need to find the tractor beam, disable it and get out of this place as fast as possible.", Finn said. "Chewie, stay in the ship while I shut down the tractor beam. This way we can make a quick escape."

 **Cane Fett's Room**

Cane Fett was the name of the man wearing the Mandalorian armor. Once the Mandalorians were the most feared warriors in the entire galaxy, now they were reduced to mere Bounty Hunters. Cane was no exception. Having lost his father, Boba Fett, at a young age he had to survive on his own. Sold as a slave to Dobba the Hutt, he worked for him for five years before escaping to the deadly desert of Tatooine where he was captured by the Sandpeople. Impressed by his fighting abilities, they allowed him to live among them. He lived with them until Dobba the Hutt exterminated their tribe after discovering that they had spared Cane. Cane escaped from the crime lord and eventually became a Bounty Hunter, just like his father before him.

"Sir, there are no passengers aboard the ship.", one of the thugs reported to Cane.

"Strange. Have you searched every part of the ship? They may have hidden in a smuggling compartment. The Millennium Falcon was used for smuggling, so it surely has smuggling compartments."

"We did not think of that, sir. I am going to check again the ship right now."

 **Hangar**

Finn got out of the Millennium Falcon and sprinted forward, heading towards a computer panel on the far left side of the hangar. If he could hack that computer panel, he could download a map of the ship and find out where the tractor beam was. As he was sprinting forward, three thugs walked into the hangar, heading for the ship.

"Hey, someone is running!", one of them shouted.

Before they could react, Finn pulled a plasma rifle and fired at them. He managed to shoot one of the thugs on the head and the second on the chest, killing them. The third thug, a human, hid behind a metallic box. Finn fired at him but the plasma fire hit the box instead of the thug.

The thug pulled two blaster pistols and began firing quickly at Finn, who was barely able to dodge the enemy fire. Finn, seeing that his enemy was taking cover behind the box and could not be shot, sprinted forward towards the box. The thug fired at him but Finn was moving to the left and the right, dodging the fire, and was running with great speed. He eventually reached the box, jumped and landed behind the thug. Then, with a quick move, he hit the thug's head with his rifle, crushing it.

With his enemies dead, Finn proceeded to hack the computer panel using computer spikes. He found a map detailing all sections of the ship and found where the tractor beam was located, in Section E of the ship which was on the southernmost part of the ship. Thus, he rushed forward to Section E.

 **Cane Fett's Room**

Cane was polishing his rifle, which was an older type of rifle he had inherited from his father. Although it was not as accurate as the new plasma rifles and was somewhat outdated, it was still lethal, especially in Cane's hands. Cane was one of the best marksmen in the galaxy. As he was polishing his rifle, a Rodian barged into his room.

"Sir, a ship has breached our hangar!"

"What ship?", Cane asked. He asked without showing any emotion at all, as though he was indifferent. But despite his cold outlook and his seemingly indifference, he was worried deep inside him. He knew that few people would dare break into his ship, and those few were as good fighters as he was.

"A red shuttle, sir."

"Jo!"

Jo was one of the best marksmen in the galaxy and worked for Dragan, the most powerful crime lord. Jo was known to be ruthless and he never had friends, with the exception of Arthurn. The mere mention of his name was enough to make people who had a price on their head tremble.

"There is also another problem, sir.", the thug said.

"What problem?"

"Someone killed the team you had sent to search the Millennium Falcon. I found their dead bodies in the hangar."

"Find out who the killer is and kill him! I will be dealing with Jo."

Cane sprinted out of the room, heading for the hangar. At the same time, Finn was heading to Section E of the ship to shut down the tractor beam.

'Something tells me those bounty hunters have already found out the dead bodies on the hangar, so I better hurry.', Finn thought.

He could not have been more right. As he was running in the ship's corridor, a door on the left opened and a thug emerged, firing with a blaster rifle at Finn. Finn got shot on the shoulder and screamed in pain but he quickly fired back, shooting the man on the forehead.

"That was close!", Finn exclaimed.

 **Hangar**

Cane finally reached the hangar. He noticed the dead bodies on the floor and then saw a bearded fat man walking slowly towards him.

"Hey, Cane, how're you doing?", Jo asked.

"I was doing pretty well until you showed up. What do you want?"

"You know, there is a huge bounty put by the First Order for the one who manages to capture the Millennium Falcon and its crew. I'm not going to let you claim this rich reward. So the ship is mine."

"Over my dead body!"

In a split of a second, Cane pulled his rifle and Jo his two pistols and both of them fired at each other. Jo moved to the left immediately after firing and Cane to the right, both dodging each other's fire.

"Nice reflexes you've got!", Jo said.

"You are good too. Too bad I am even better."

Both bounty hunters ran at opposite sides of the hangar and quickly took cover each behind a metallic box.

 **Section E**

While the two bounty hunters were facing off in the hangar, Finn found the computer panel on Section E which was controlling the tractor beam. He quickly hacked the computer and disabled the tractor beam.

"Now, all I need to do is to run to the hangar, get on the Millennium Flacon and leave this place."

"Not so fast.", a voice said. The voice belonged to a Rodian thug who aimed his pistol at Finn's back. He was so close to Finn that his pistol touched Finn's back.

"You underestimate me!", Finn said and with a swift and fast back kick hit the Rodian's chest. His pistol fell from his hand and Finn quickly crushed the Rodian's head with his rifle. He then sprinted to the hangar.

 **Hangar**

Back on the hangar, the two bounty hunters were firing at each other when Finn arrived. "What the hell is going on?!", Finn shouted.

Cane aimed at Finn but Jo fired at Cane's direction just as Cane was about to trigger his rifle.

"He is mine to kill!", Jo shouted. "I will get the reward."

"No I will!"

"I have a better idea.", Finn said. "I let neither of you claim the reward and I escape alive."

Finn ran onto the Millennium Falcon and shouted, "Chewie, get us out of here!"

Chewie pulled a level and the ship took off from the hangar, leaving behind the freighter. Finn took a deep breath. "This was close, Chewie. Damn, this mission has not even started and we already were almost killed. I told you that I have a bad feeling about this mission."


	6. Legend of the Old Master

**'** **JJ-91', cockpit**

Arthurn was waiting for the computer to give him the coordinates to Tatooine, so that they could find Max Kraat who would inform them of how to meet up with the Resistance. While he was waiting, he was thinking about all the trouble he had been through. It was only because of Dragan that he undertook this mission, in order to pay him back. Although the First Order was dangerous, Dragan's bounty hunters and mercenaries were even more deadly.

Rey was on the back of the ship with Mai Zheng. Mai Zheng had asked her for her lightsaber and he was examining it closely.

"The weapon of a Jedi Knight.", Mai Zheng observed. "Very well crafted lightsaber. Who gave you this weapon? I do not believe that you are skilled enough to craft such an excellent lightsaber."

"It was given to me by Maz Kanata on Takodana.", Rey replied.

"I see. Although it is a well-crafted weapon, real Masters do not need such weapons."

Rey was surprised to hear that. Even Luke, recognized as one of the greatest Jedi of all time, was using the lightsaber as his main weapon.

"What do you mean by that?"

Mai Zheng smiled. "Real Masters do not need a lightsaber. They can beat their opponents using the Force and can utilize anything as a weapon. A real Master almost never uses lightsabers."

"Have you ever met such a Master?", Rey asked.

"Only once. He was an excellent duelist and his lightsaber skills were the best in the entire Galaxy. But by the time he was two hundreds year old he had become so powerful in the Force that he did not needed his lightsaber anymore. He let it flow in a river, hoping that it would be discovered some day by someone as skilled as him. He then wandered the galaxy, preferring reading and studying the ancient teachings of the Jedi and the Sith instead of taking part in the conflicts of the mundane world."

Rey was completely charmed by this story and wanted to learn as much as she could about this 'Master'. She loved to hear the legends about the old Jedi. When she was training with Luke in the island, she was always asking him to tell her more about the myths and legends of the Jedi of the old times.

"I met him two decades ago. We kind of liked each other and became friends. We got along pretty well. Too bad he is dead now."

Mai Zheng sighed and paused for a moment. Rey thought that he was thinking about his friend and the memories he had of him.

"He was a powerful Master, obsessed with understanding the essence of the Force and mastering it completely. He actually came pretty close to realizing his dream."

"So, was he a Jedi? Because my Teacher never mentioned him."

"Of course he does not know of this person. When he was Jedi he was not famous yet and his lightsaber skills, while good, were still not the best. It was only after he left the Jedi Order that he became such a powerful Force Master."

"But why did he leave the order?"

Mai Zheng sighed. "He broke the rules of the Jedi. He fell in love with a woman and was expelled from the Order. Too bad that woman died soon after. She felt responsible for his expulsion and killed herself in hope that the Jedi would accept him back to the Order. She was right, but my friend blamed the Order for her death and refused to return."

Rey remained silent for a moment, thinking about the story. She had always thought of the Jedi being the noble heroes, but this story cast some doubt in that belief of hers. Maybe they were not all that noble after all.

"How did he die?", Rey asked.

"After he left the order, he secluded himself for a couple of decades and studied the ways of the Sith. When he was three hundred years old, he took on apprentices to pass them down his knowledge. A pupil of his grew ambitious and one day betrayed him. He defeated him and murdered his fellow students. That is the way of the Sith; betrayal. Betrayed by both the Jedi and the Sith, he secluded himself for a couple of years before succumbing to old age."

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Meditation Room**

Kylo Ren was in his room, practicing his lightsaber skills. His moves were somewhat slow but very powerful and aimed at overpowering the opponent with sheer brutal force. He had given orders that no one was to interrupt him while he was training, so when Officer Alexander knocked the door he was enraged.

"Come in!", Kylo Ren shouted.

Alexander saluted the Knight of Ren and said, "Sir, I am regretful to inform you that you have been…..replaced."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've gotten orders from Supreme Leader Snoke to inform you that you will be replaced by Admiral Leisha. She will be in charge of finding Rey. The Supreme Leader is most disappointed by your failure to locate her. You have also been asked to assist the Admiral and follow her commands."

"I understand.", Kylo Ren calmly said.

Although he maintained his calmness while Alexander was around, when he left the room he ignited his lightsaber and began smashing everything in his way.

 **'** **JJ-91', cockpit**

Arthurn had closed his eyes and was asleep on the pilot's seat when Rey walked in the cockpit. "Arthurn, when shall we reach Tatooine?"

Arthurn woke up, stretched his arms and said, "I believe in a minute or two. You woke me up just when I was seeing a nice dream."

"You can dream another time. We need to find Max Kraat as soon as possible. If we don't get to the Resistance, the First Order will eventually capture as."

Arthurn laughed. "Relax. I have a friend here who will give us shelter and help us find your friend. The First Order will not be able to find out where we are."

"Do you trust this friend of yours?"

"I do. Although, when we are there, you should try not to be overly friendly to me. And let me do all the talking."

"Why?"

"You will understand when I take you to my friend."

Although Rey was quite curious about this friend of Arthurn, she did not ask any other question. Suddenly, an alarm ringed.

"We reached Tatooine.", Arthurn said. "Time to get out of hyperspace."

Arthurn pulled a lever and the JJ-91 got out of hyperspace.

"We're going to land on Mos Eisley Space Station. It is the largest space station on Tatooine."

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Bridge**

Kylo Ren walked to the bridge of the 'Annihilator' to meet Admiral Leisha. He found her talking with Alexander and some other military officers. Her hair was midnight-black and it flowed over her shoulders. A pair of arched eyebrows looked down on sweeping eyelashes. Her delicate ears framed a button nose. She was wearing a grey military suit and hat. Leisha was the only female admiral in the First Order's fleet. She had proved herself in a series of campaigns against some hostile to the First Order Kingdoms in the Outer Rim territories. She was excellent in coordinating aerial and ground troops and using complex maneuvers to outflank and encircle the enemy armies.

"Glad to be able to meet the famous Master of the Knights of Ren.", she said while walking towards Kylo Ren.

On the other hand, Kylo Ren was most displeased with her. How could his Master replace him and remove his military authority? Did he not trust him and trusted that woman? If only he had been given some more time, he would have found Rey. Those were the thoughts of Kylo Ren when meeting Leisha.

"How can I be of assistance, _Admiral_?", Kylo Ren asked, trying to hide his frustration.

Leisha noticed how angry Kylo Ren was and so she decided to make him understand who the boss was in order to avoid trouble later on. Discipline was what she valued the most.

"For a start, you could calm down and accept that Supreme Leader Snoke trusts me more than he trusts you. I am in charge here and you will have to respect me and follow _all_ of my commands. Do you understand?"

Kylo Ren was about to take off his lightsaber and struck her down, but realized that Snoke would not take kindly such action and decided to accept the fact that Leisha was in command. For now, at least.

"I understand."

"Good. Now let's try to locate the ship and find out where Rey is. I have already asked Alexander to locate all possible coordinates based on their last known location and I have placed a huge bounty on Rey's head."

 **Tatooine,** **Mos Eisley, Elsa's Cantina**

Arthurn, Rey and Mai Zheng walked into Elsa's Cantina. A band of Bith musicians were playing Jazz music. Smoke filled the place. Laughter and talking could be heard all over the Cantina. Arthurn whispered to Rey, "Wait outside. I will go talk with Elsa."

Elsa was serving drinks to a customer. She was firm like a piece of jade, had long blonde hair and bright eyes. Her skin was whiter than snow and she was quite beautiful. Upon seeing Arthurn, she smiled and said, "I knew you would return to me."

Arthurn too was smiling. "Hey Elsa, how are you doing? Long time no see."

Instead of a reply, Elsa slapped him hard on his right cheek.

"Ouch!", Arthurn exclaimed. "That hurt."

"That was for cheating me with my cousin."

"Oh, come on! It's not my fault that your cousin was such a hot chick."

Elsa slapped again Arthurn, this time harder.

"And that was for leaving me here all alone and not returning for three years. Now, what can I do for you, my friend?"

"Can you help me and some friends of mine to hide?"

Elsa laughed. "You are _again_ in trouble? You never change, do you?"

"No. I am always adventurous, risky and living on the edge. That's why you fell in love with me, remember sweetheart?"

Elsa sighed.

"I was a fool to do so."

"Anyway, Elsa, shall you take us to your home so we can hide and not be in a place full of people, any of whom can possibly recognize us?"

"Don't you see I've got work to do?"

"Don't you have a waiter to help you out? Well, tell him to manage the Cantina himself for a couple of minutes."

"Alright, I will let you stay at my home but only for a few days.", she said. Then she turned around and shouted, "Jim, I will be leaving for a couple of minutes! You go serve the costumers!"

"Alright boss!", Jim was heard saying.

Elsa then walked with Arthurn outside and saw Rey and Mai Zheng waiting.

"Is this your new girlfriend?", Elsa asked.

"No.", Arthurn replied. "Why do you ask? Are you jealous?"

"Me? Being jealous about you? Honestly, you think too much of yourself. "

"I wouldn't if so many women had not fallen for me."

"You always find a way to get on my nerves, don't you? Just like old times."

Arthurn grinned. "Well, getting on people's nerves is my speciality."

"Who is she?", Rey asked

"Oh, she is the friend I was talking about. She will take us to her home to hide."

"I am Elsa.", she said to Rey. "By the way, heed my advice: never trust this scumbag."

Arthurn laughed. "Scumbag? Isn't this a bit too harsh?"

"No."

Elsa walked forward and Arthurn, Rey and Mai Zheng followed her to her home. A small building in the suburbs of Mos Eisley. Elsa gave the keys of the house to Arthurn and said, "I have to go back to the Cantina. You make yourself at home."

"Thanks Elsa. See you later on."

Elsa left for the Cantina and Arthurn, Rey and Mai Zheng walked into the house. As soon as they walked in, Mai Zheng said, "I want to take a walk outside. It's been a long time since I last was on Tatooine, so I want to see the place. I will come back later."

While Arthurn was inspecting the house and looking around, Rey was silent. Then she asked, "Was she your lover?"

Arthurn was somewhat taken aback by this question. Rey usually did not show much interest for his personal affairs or, indeed, for him.

"Well, once. A few years ago. But not anymore."

"But you still like her, don't you?"

"As a friend only. Why are you so interested about my feelings for her?"

"I was just curious about it.", she replied. For some reason, she felt a bit awkward and wanted to be alone for a moment or two. "I will go rest for a bit. I will tell you what I know about Max Kraat later."

Arthurn grinned. 'Does she actually _likes_ me?', Arthurn thought. 'Could someone like me and a Jedi….Buh, I don't think so.'


	7. Deadly Encounter

Thanks for all the reviews.

 **Tatooine,** **Mos Eisley, Elsa's Home**

Elsa, Rey, Arthurn and Mai Zheng were sitting on a couch in Elsa's home and were discussing about how to find out the whereabouts of Max Kraat. Rey was holding a hologram projector in her hands.

"So, who exactly is this Max Kraat?", Arthurn asked.

"An informant of the Resistance.", Rey replied. "Mos Eisley is great place to fish information. He is in direct contact with General Leia, so he will be able to tell us where the Resistance's base is. That's why Leia told me that if I ever was in trouble, I should contact him."

"But how will we find him?"

Rey activated the hologram and it showed a middle-aged man with short brown hear and beard and scars all over his face. "I have this picture of him. Unfortunately, this is all I have. Elsa, do you know where we can ask for information about his whereabouts?"

Elsa thought for a moment and then said, "In the Cantina, there is a regular costumer who can help you with your problem. His name is Mac and he can provide you with any information you want, if the price is right of course."

"Well, then let's go see him.", Arthurn said.

Arthurn, Ray, Elsa and Mai Zheng walked to the Cantina. All of the costumers were talking and laughing. Some of them were dancing to the sound of the music. Jim was serving drinks. The group headed to the far left corner of the Cantina, where a green male Twi'lek was drinking a cocktail.

Elsa approached him and said, "Hey, Mac, could you do a favor for a friend of mine? He needs some information on a person."

"If he pays me the right price, I could help him."

Before Elsa could reply, Arthurn intervened. "How much do you want?"

"Depends on what information you want me to bring you."

Rey activated the hologram and showed him Max Kraat. "He is the person we are looking for. His name is Max Kraat. Can you tell where he is?"

Mac observed Rey and the hologram for a few seconds and then replied, "I could. Pay me 3,000 credits and by tomorrow I would have found him."

"3,000 credits?!", Arthurn shouted. "Hell, that's a lot of money."

"If you don't want to pay, you can always search for yourself. And considering how many people reside in Mos Eisley alone, good luck with you search. Cause you are going to need it."

Mac laughed and Arthurn whispered to Elsa, "Can't you persuade him to give us a discount?"

"I will try.", she replied. She then turned to Mac and said, "Mac, can't you give them a discount? They are my friends."

"They are _your_ friends, not mine."

"Come on! If you do help them, I will allow you to drink for free here as much as you want for two months."

Mac thought for a moment. He sighed and reluctantly agreed. "Alright, alright. I'll do it, but only because I like you."

She smiled at him as charmingly as she could and said, "Thanks Mac."

Elsa then turned around and said to Arthurn, "See, there are some people who know to appreciate me."

"What's that supposed to mean?", Arthurn complained.

"Take your girlfriend and the old man for a walk or whatever. I need to work. We'll talk later."

"Aright. See you later."

 **The 'Annihilator', Kylo Ren's flagship, Bridge**

Kylo Ren had been summoned to the Bridge of the 'Annihilator' by Admiral Leisha. He found her overlooking the bright stars of the universe and silently waiting.

"What can I do for you?", Kylo Ren asked.

Leisha turned around and with a smile in her face said, "I believe that I have located Rey. A bounty hunter has contacted me and said that he has located her on Mos Eisley. So, you will soon have a chance to capture her."

Kylo Ren smiled inside his helmet. "Good. I will not let her escape this time. "

"When we reach Tatooine, you should go to the planet alone. I do not want to waste Stormtroopers in a military operation. I am sure that you can pull this off, right? Or do you need help for such a simple task?"

'How dare she mock me?', Kylo Ren thought and he was boiling with anger. "No! I will be able to capture Rey on my own!", he replied.

"Good."

Leisha was observing silently Kylo Ren. He had heard much about him and his battle prowess and so was curious to see who Kylo Ren actually was. What was his _real_ face.

"By the way could you for once take off this mask for yours?", she asked him.

Kylo Ren was surprised to hear this question. "Why should I do that?"

"I am curious. That's why.", she replied. Kylo Ren was reluctant to take off his mask, so Leisha quickly added, "That's an order."

Kylo Ren sighed and took off his mask. Seeing his face, that of a young man whose only sign of battle was a scar which Rey gave him, she laughed.

Kylo Ren somewhat blushed. "Hey, why are you laughing? What's so funny?"

"I was expecting Kylo Ren to look more…heroic. I was not expecting you to be so young."

"I am not that young.", he quickly protested. "And trust me; most people who see me are scared to death."

"Well, they are scared by the mask, not you."

Kylo Ren was furious with her but he calmed himself and maintained his composure. 'When I capture Rey, I'll deal with you', he thought and left the Bridge.

 **Tatooine,** **Mos Eisley, Elsa's Home**

The next day, in the afternoon, Arthurn was half-asleep in the couch, relaxing and enjoying the relative silence and peace after such a long time of being chased by the First Order, when Rey approached him. "Hey, Arthurn, I've got great news. Mac called me and told me that he found where Max Kraat is. He told me to meet him in the outskirts of the city."

Arthurn stretched his arms, got up and said, "At last. This soon will be over and I will be able to repay Dragan."

Arthurn was smiling, but he saw that Rey looked somewhat sad.

"So, we will be parting ways soon, right?", she asked.

"Well…I…."

Arthurn was at loss about what to say. He felt sad too. He did not know why, but he did not like the idea of parting ways with Rey. He enjoyed her company. When he first met Rey and agreed to take her to the Resistance, he was doing it for money's shake only. But now he had doubts about that. But he then brushed aside those thoughts. A Jedi and hero to the Resistance like her would not be interested in a thief and smuggler like himself, would she?

Thankfully for Arthurn, Mai Zheng appeared, interrupting this awkward scene.

"Has Mac contacted you?", Mai Zheng asked.

"Yes.", Rey replied. "He is waiting for us at the outskirts of the city."

"If that's so, we better hurry. It will not be long before the First Order finds out where we are hiding."

The three of them walked to the city's outskirts where they saw Mac and another man waiting for them. That man looked a lot like Max Kraat, but he was a bit shorter than in the hologram and had fewer scars on his face. Rey noticed this and shouted, "Shadow 21!".

"What shadow?", the man asked, confused.

Rey whispered to Arthurn's ear, "He is not the real Max Kraat. He is an imposter. Shadow 21 is his codename and if he was Max Kraat, he would have recognized it."

Mac noticed that Rey was whispering something to Arthurn and realizing that his plan had failed. So he quickly drew two blasters and fired at Arthurn, but Rey ignited her lightsaber and blocked the enemy fire. The imposter too was about to draw his gun and fire, but Arthurn was able to draw his blaster much faster and fired first, killing the man.

"Why are you doing this?", Rey asked Mac.

"The First Order has placed a bounty on your head. Everyone in the galaxy is looking for you. At first, I did not recognize you in the Cantina. But after seeing a hologram, I realized that you were the Rey that the First Order was looking for. So I figured that I could fool you to come here, pretending that I had located that Max dude, and then stun you and claim the reward."

"Well, it seems you failed buddy.", Arthurn said and laughed.

"I don't think so. The First Order should have already sent its men to Mos Eisley. Before asking you to come here, I had already contacted the First Order and informed them of your location."

"Damn it! That means that…Elsa is in danger. We need to warn her to leave."

"There is no time for that.", Mai Zheng said. "The First Order knows that we are here and going back is suicidal. We need to leave. I do not think the First Order will bother with her, and even if they do she is not that important in saving the galaxy."

"What are you talking about?", Rey protested. "We cannot allow her to be harmed, especially since she helped us!"

"You are too important to be placed in danger! Her death will mean nothing, but if _you_ die then no one will be able to stop the First Order fron dominating the galaxy."

"I understand…". Rey paused for a moment. Then she added, "Let's go, we need to make sure that Elsa will be alright."

A smile appeared on Arthurn's face when he heard that.

 **Tatooine,** **Mos Eisley, Elsa's Cantina**

Kylo Ren walked into Elsa's Cantina. Mac had informed the First Order that he had met Rey there, although he did not tell them of Elsa. He had hoped that he could capture Rey without implicating Elsa. As his plan was foiled, this was no longer the case.

Kylo Ren pulled a hologram projector from his belt, activated it and showed a hologram of Rey. He then shouted, "Has anyone seen this girl?"

"Why should I tell you?", a man asked. Instead of replying, Kylo Ren used the Force to pull up from his seat the man and force choked him to death.

"Because I demand you to do so!"

All of the costumers were terrified and panicked. The Bith stopped playing music and Elsa rushed towards Kylo Ren.

"You can't this to my Cantina!", she said.

"Of course I can!", Kylo Ren replied. He then ignited his lightsaber and pointed it at Elsa's face. "Have you seen that girl? If you don't tell me the truth, you will meet a very, very painful death."

Suddenly, the sound of blaster shots was heard. Kylo Ren turned around and used his lightsaber to deflect the shots. Although he did deflect them, his hologram projector slipped from his hand and fell on the floor. But he did not need it anymore. For before him were Rey, Arthurn and Mai Zheng.

"So we meet again, Rey.", Kylo Ren said.

Rey ignited her lightsaber and said, "It's time to finish this. You are a monster who killed his own father and you've been chasing me ever since I left Luke. We have a score to settle and we'll settle it here."

Rey sped forward and attacked Kylo Ren with all of her strength. Kylo Ren blocked Rey's lightsaber with his own and the two lightsabers clashed. Refusing to yield any ground to their enemy, they both put all of their strength into their attack, trying to force the other to retreat.

"Use you hatred of him!", Mai Zheng said. "Use your emotions. Do not let them overtake you, but use them to give you the strength you need to overpower him."

Rey followed Mai Zheng's advice and brought into her mind the moment Kylo Ren stabbed Han Solo. This totally enraged her and her anger fueled her power. She was able to push back Kylo Ren and she then proceeded to hit his face with her left elbow.

"Ah!", Kylo Ren shouted in pain and retreated by a few steps. Rey charged at him, but he used the force to push her back. Rey hit a table and fell on the floor, but she quickly got up and charged once again at Kylo Ren. Their lightsabers collided again and again, each time more furiously.

"Good.", Mai Zheng commented. "Hit him with all you've got!"

Rey's attacks were becoming more and more powerful while Kylo Ren was forced to go on the defensive. 'She can't beat me!', Kylo Ren thought. 'I am the Master of the Knights of Ren!'.

Kylo Ren used his lightsaber to block Rey's attacks while using the force to throw tables and chairs at her. A chair hit her back and Rey shouted in pain. Seeing that a table too was coming at her, she was forced to stop her attack in order to dodge it. This allowed Kylo Ren to counterattack and this time it was Rey who was on the defensive.

Seeing that Rey was having a hard time and that she could not beat Kylo Ren, Arthurn threw a smoke grenade which blocked everyone's vision. He then ran, grabbed Rey's hand and said to her, "We need to run! You cannot defeat him!"

"No! I can end this once and for all. Trust me."

"You know you cannot defeat him. Do not let you hatred of him cloud your judgement. "

Rey sighed and reluctantly agreed. She knew that Arthurn was right. So, she, Arthurn, Elsa and Mai Zheng rushed out of the Cantina.

"I have a speeder parked nearby.", Elsa said. "Follow me!"

They followed Elsa who led them to a speeder parked next to the Cantina. They boarded the vehicle and Elsa sped it forward.

"Where are we going?", Arthurn asked.

"Out of Mos Eisley. I have a friend living in a farm outside the city. We can seek refuge there."

The speeder left the city and sped forward into the desert, soon reaching a valley surrounded on both sides by steep hills.

"This is a dangerous valley.", Elsa said. "But we have to go through here if we are to escape from the First Order, as it is the fastest route to our destination. "

"Are you sure about this?", Arthurn asked.

"We don't have much of a choice."

As the speeder sped into the valley, suddenly rifle shots were heard and one of them hit the speeder. As if out of nowhere, tens of Sand People charged out from the top of nearby hills and fired with their muskets at them. The group jumped out of the speeder and took cover behind some rocks. Arthurn and Elsa fired at the Sand People with their blasters while Rey was deflecting their fire with her lightsaber.

Despite their best efforts, the group was outnumbered by the Sand People and for a moment it seemed as if they were to be overpowered by them, but suddenly a grenade exploded near the Sand People, scaring them and making them retreat.

"Who threw the grenade?", Rey asked.

"I did!", a voice was heard said. From behind a rock, a man appeared: Max Kraat.


End file.
